"Ah, the rain just won't stop, Yoshino-chan."
"Yeah..."
On a continuous drizzly winter afternoon, Yoshino and her companion—the rabbit puppet Yoshinon—stood by the windowsill of the Itsuka house, looking up at the sky filled with dark clouds, their faces full of sorrow.
Not long ago, everyone had just decided to go camping outdoors together this weekend.
Since the decision was made, Yoshino had been as excited as an elentary school student preparing for a spring field trip these past few days, looking forward to the weekend's arrival like counting the stars and the moon.
However, the weather was not cooperative. Tomorrow was the day for camping, but starting yesterday, the whole of Tengu City seed to have returned to the rainy season, raining continuously for two days.
"What's wrong? Yoshino? Looking outside with such a sorrowful face. Do you have so worries?"
Hearing the voice from behind, Yoshino turned around and saw Natsumi looking at her with concern.
"Natsumi-san... I'm fine."
Yoshino shook her head and looked up at the sky, saying softly.
"I'm just a bit worried about whether it will rain tomorrow."
"My~ It's rare for everyone to be able to gather together and happily enjoy outdoor camping, I didn't expect it to suddenly rain. Really, although Yoshinon doesn't hate rainy days either, I really hope the Weather God could consider the ti and place!"
Yoshinon crossed its arms and shook its small head, speaking indignantly.
"Ah... Speaking of which, the camping trip is tomorrow."
Natsumi suddenly realized, feeling a bit embarrassed at the sa ti. As a shut in who basically never left her room unless she had to, Natsumi's daily life was basically spent playing gas indoors. To tell the truth, she had absolutely no concept of dates and weather.
"Indeed, if it keeps going like this, tomorrow's camping trip will have to be canceled... Oh no."
Noticing that Yoshino beca a bit downcast because of these words, Natsumi thought to herself, This is bad.
"N-No, it's fine. It's possible the rain will stop tonight. It's winter anyway, it can't possibly rain for that long. Right, right! Let's check the weather forecast!"
Hating herself enough to want to slap her own face a few tis in her heart, Natsumi quickly changed her tune and picked up the remote control to turn on the TV.
[Tomorrow, the chance of rain in Tengu City is 74%. The weather will be light to moderate rain. Please rember to bring an umbrella when going out—]
(Screw you, TV station! Are you trying to pick a fight? You're picking a fight, right! You purposely said that because I'm the one who turned on the TV, right!? Read the room! Read the room!)
Natsumi couldn't help but roar in her heart.
"Seventy-four... percent."
"My, this number is really not optimistic."
Hearing Yoshino's powerless tone, Natsumi sweat dropped a bit, not quite daring to turn her head to face Yoshino.
(It's all my fault! Giving Yoshino unnecessary expectations! Oh no! Soone hurry up and help —)
"Phew~ Yoshino, Natsumi. You're here."
Right at this mont, Kotori, wearing white ribbons, walked into the living room, greeting the two with a Chupa Chups in her mouth.
"Kotori! Your timing is perfect!"
Natsumi looked at Kotori like she had found her savior.
"Hm? What's wrong, Natsumi? Did sothing happen?"
Kotori couldn't help but be stunned, asking in confusion.
"Actually..."
"Mhm, I see."
After hearing the whole story, Kotori chuckled and waved her hand.
"Don't worry. The reliability of our city's TV weather forecast is actually very questionable. Once they said there was a 100% chance of heavy rain tomorrow, but it turned out to be a clear, cloudless sky the next day. So there's no need to take it to heart."
"But... if it's still raining tomorrow, the camping trip will be canceled, right..."
Yoshino asked anxiously.
"Well, if it rains, it indeed won't be suitable for outdoor activities, but at most it will just be postponed, not canceled."
"I see..."
Hearing Kotori's answer, Yoshino felt sowhat relieved.
"But I can understand how Yoshino feels. It would be great if it cleared up sooner."
Shido also walked in from the hallway, joining the three's conversation.
"Shido-san..."
"As expected of Shido-kun! Being able to understand Yoshino-chan's feelings."
"Even if it won't be canceled. Having a rare outdoor camping trip postponed is still very frustrating. Furthermore—"
After replying with a bitter smile, Shido suddenly turned his head and started muttering to himself.
"Washed clothes are also very hard to dry..."
"Kotori, what's wrong with idiot Shido?"
Natsumi turned her head to ask Kotori.
"It's nothing. My Onii-chan sotis gets OCD about weird things like this." Kotori shrugged and sighed helplessly. "Seriously, Onii-chan, doesn't our washing machine have a drying function? Just take it out and blow it with a hot air dryer, and it'll dry very quickly, right?"
"It's different! It's completely different, my dear sister! Yes, blowing clothes with a hot air dryer dries them quickly, but it easily leaves wrinkles! It also leaves a bit of a damp sll! Drying clothes should be done under the sun, that way they dry without leaving marks, and they also have a warm sll!"
"Oh right, Yoshino, if you are really that worried, why don't you make a teru teru bozu and pray for clear weather?"(TL:sunny doll)
Ignoring Shido, who had entered a state of excitent, Kotori made a suggestion to Yoshino.
Hearing this, Yoshino and Yoshinon's eyes instantly lit up.
"...Teru teru bozu...."
"Ooh! Could it be that mysterious item that appears in picture books and TV, capable of praying for clear skies? Kotori-chan, do you know how to make one?"
"Of course, the thod is actually very simple. Like this, wrap a piece of cloth around a ping pong ball or so crumpled paper to make a small ball, then tie it nicely with a rubber band, and finally draw a smiley face on it—Ta-da! A brand-new teru teru bozu is born!"
"Ooh—"
Watching Kotori demonstrate, Yoshino couldn't help but marvel.
"I want to make a teru teru bozu... and pray for a sunny day tomorrow."
Yoshino said with full enthusiasm.
"Very good! That's the spirit, Yoshino-chan! Do your best! Right, Natsumi-chan, do you want to join us in making one too?"
"Eh?"
Seeing herself invited, Natsumi was happy at first, but then hurriedly waved her hands in refusal.
"No, no! I definitely can't! A teru teru bozu made by soone like ! Let alone praying for clear skies, it might even have a cursing effect! It'll definitely cause a tornado tomorrow, calling it an a a bozu would be more fitting! I am very sorry, Yoshino. It's rare for you to invite , but I'll pass!"
"There's no such thing! Natsumi-chan is a good girl too. Making teru teru bozu together will definitely bring twice the result with half the effort."
Saying that, Yoshino and Yoshinon gently held Natsumi's hand and said with a smile.
"It is okay... Let's make teru teru bozu together."
(Ah— I'm ascending.)
In an instant, only this one sentence erged in Natsumi's chaotic brain. She felt like she could see angel wings and holy light behind Yoshino, instantly purifying her filthy body and soul without leaving a speck of residue.
"I-I understand... I will help."
Watching the two happily making teru teru bozu at the table, Shido first breathed a sigh of relief, then exchanged a smile with Kotori.
"Alright, I'm almost ready to go to the kitchen to make dinner. I'll leave things here to you for now."
"Understood~"
Kotori replied. Then, not long after Shido left, Tohka, who was sleeping on the sofa, finally woke up with a yawn.
"Ah~ I'm hungry. Kotori, is dinner ready?"
"Onii-chan just went to the kitchen. You'll have to wait a bit, Tohka."
"My! You're awake, sleepyhead Tohka-chan! Did you have a sweet dream?"
"Good afternoon... Tohka-san..."
"Good afternoon."
"Oh~ Yoshino, Yoshinon, and Natsumi, good afternoon."
After greeting the three, Tohka looked at the teru teru bozu placed on the table and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
"What is this? Is it food?"
"This is called a teru teru bozu. It's an item used to pray for clear skies."
"Tohka-san... Do you want to try making one too?"
"Mhm, okay. It looks very interesting."
And so, Tohka also enthusiastically joined in. Just as they finished making the dolls and were preparing to hang them on the balcony, the Yamai sisters and Yutsuki also returned ho.
"We are back."
"Welco back. Did you go to the arcade to play gas again, Yutsuki-nee?"
"Ah. Final score, seven wins, six losses. A narrow victory in the penalty ga."
Yutsuki shrugged and said proudly. In contrast, the Yamai sisters behind her let out very dissatisfied sounds.
"Guh— Damn it, my comrade. To actually use a hidden command to select a cheat character at the very last mont, how despicable."
"Resentnt. We were careless, thinking victory was already in our grasp."
"Well, the bet was the right to command the loser after all. There's no reason not to go all out!"
After retorting with a light smile, Yutsuki noticed Yoshino and the others' actions, feeling a bit surprised.
"Hoh~ Teru teru bozu, huh? Did you guys make them?"
"Mhm... Hoping for a sunny day when we go camping."
"Kuku—Too naive! Too naive! Teru teru bozu are nothing but superstitious items humans use to find psychological comfort! Rather than clinging to this useless thing, why not rely on my kin? With our Yamai power, we can absolutely sweep away all the dark clouds!"
At this mont, to forget the frustration of losing the ga, Kaguya laughed heartily in her usual chuunibyou tone.
Well, thinking about it carefully, she wasn't actually bragging. For the Yamai sisters, who originally had the power to control hurricane-level winds, if they really wanted to, using their Angels to disperse the rain clouds wouldn't be difficult.
However, doing so would definitely cause a huge commotion.
"Hmph, if you say so..."
Yutsuki had a sudden inspiration, seemingly thinking of sothing. A wicked smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"Ah, Yoshino. Let join in too, let's make two more teru teru bozu."
...
And so, a row of smiling teru teru bozu were neatly hung by the windowsill.
At the sa ti, Kaguya and Yuzuru were also wrapped in large white bath towels, with only their heads exposed, hanging on the balcony, becoming mbers of the teru teru bozu.
"Are you—kidding !!!!!!!"
Kaguya couldn't help but roar with veins popping on her head.
"My comrade, what is the aning of this? Bullying? Abuse? What did I do wrong to be humiliated like this?"
"My~ I was just thinking. If you children of the typhoon dress up as teru teru bozu, you might be able to communicate with the heavens and make the rain stop."
Yutsuki suppressed her laughter and replied, pretending to be serious.
"Then why don't you be a teru teru bozu! Aren't you my community of destiny?"
"I am the Lightning Shrine Maiden, not the Typhoon Shrine Maiden. Even if I prayed, I would only turn the rain into a thunderstorm."
"Sophistry!"
"Well, jokes aside. This is also the punishnt for the penalty ga, so be a teru teru bozu obediently."
With that, Yutsuki clapped her hands, praying to the two with great reverence.
"I beg you, Kaguya-sama, Yuzuru-sama. Please be sure to stop this heavy rain."
The others also cooperated very well, following Yutsuki in clapping their hands to pray.
"Yoshinon also begs you! Yoshino-chan is really looking forward to tomorrow's camping trip, do your best! Yuzuru-chan! Kaguya-chan!"
"Please, please let it clear up."
"Well, thanks for the hard work. Do your best."
"Tomorrow at the camping trip, I want to eat grilled at until my stomach is full!"
"That's not sothing you should be praying to for, is it?!!"
"Isn't it great, Kaguya? Being worshipped and served by people."
"This is completely different from the format I was hoping for!!!!"
Twisting her body dissatisfiedly, Kaguya looked at everyone who had no intention of letting her down at all, her face full of resentnt. She turned her head and began to complain to Yuzuru next to her.
"My other half! Do not just stay silent! Being treated as a toy display like this is simply humiliating."
"Answer. If it is the requirent of the penalty ga, Yuzuru can only obediently accept."
Yuzuru looked at Kaguya and said with a smile.
"Supplent. Being able to stick together with Kaguya like this makes feel surprisingly happy."
"Ugh—"
Hearing Yuzuru's sweet words, Kaguya was a bit shy, but also a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone, dinner is ready. Hm? What are you doing by the windowsill?"
Seeing the crowd gathered by the windowsill, Shido couldn't help but ask doubtfully.
"Shido! You are the only hope left in my Pandora's box! Quickly persuade our comrade to free from this state!"
Kaguya shouted as if she had grabbed onto her last straw.
"This is..."
Seeing Yuzuru and Kaguya tied up as teru teru bozu, Shido first showed a look of surprise, then quickly stepped forward and clapped his hands to pray.
"I beg you! Yuzuru-sama! Kaguya-sama! If the rain doesn't stop, that huge pile of clothes I washed won't dry!"
"Even you have betrayed !?"
As a result, as if resigning herself to her fate, Kaguya loudly scolded the torrential rain outside the house.
"Insolent fool! Do you know who I am? The child of the typhoon who controls all phenona in the world! The chaotic Demon King from the Netherworld Purgatory—Yamai Kaguya! A re rain cloud, I can scatter your soul in an instant! If you fear my power! Retreat at once!"
"Praise. As expected of Kaguya, what decisiveness!"
"Shut up! Yuzuru, don't just watch. As my other half, show them the spirit of us children of the hurricane!"
"Affirmation. Yuzuru and the others want to go on an outdoor picnic tomorrow, raining like this is very troubleso, please stop quickly."
"Your spirit is lacking!! Use your heart to project your voice!"
Just as the two of them shouted at the sky for about ten minutes, should one say it was pure coincidence, or did their Yamai power really manifest?
—The sky, miraculously cleared up.
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